Two of which are fortunately acquired by birth and are a matter of unconditional love and acceptance.

The first identity is acquired by where one is born. Our Motherland. That defines us. So foremost all of us here like me are proud Indians.

Second the family name and upbringing that our parents give us. Mine is Khan, like some of us here. I am very proud of my parents, like all of us are here. I love them unconditionally.

The third is the profession we choose that defines us. By some quirk of fate I am a celebrity… a public figure in the fields of art and media. Like most of us are here today.

As I said being an Indian and my parents’ child is an unconditional accepted truth of my life and I am very proud of both.

The third… being a public figure makes me open to any kind of questioning, adjectives good and bad and or sometimes makes me an object of controversy as people use my name and statements to attach any positive or negative sentiment to it. I accept all the above because this is the life I chose and will stand by it. I am what I am, because of the love and admiration that comes with being who I am in my profession…so I thank everyone for making me the star I am.

Now to address this whole issue, with regards to my Article, that has taken an unwarranted twist . I do not even understand the basis of this controversy.

Ironically the article I wrote (yes its written by me) was actually meant to reiterate that on some occasions my being an Indian Muslim film star is misused by bigots and narrow minded people who have misplaced religious ideologies for small gains….and ironically the same has happened through this article…once again.

The reason for this primarily is….I think some of the people have not even read it and are reacting to comments of people, who in